Arizona Coyotes: Top Three Home Games Before Christmas
Oct 10, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes center Max Domi (16) controls the puck against Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin (8) during the home opener at Gila River Arena. The Coyotes defeated the Penguins 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Arizona Coyotes schedule is filled with must-see games, but a few games stick out as “can’t miss” match-ups.
A quick glance at the Arizona Coyotes schedule shows a myriad of match-ups that boast a bit of hard-hitting fun, customary crowd-pleasers, and revenge from seasons’ past. Based on what we know now, I pick my top games before Christmas that every Coyotes fan should see.
There are three games in particular highlighted on my team schedule, each for different reasons.
None celebrate the return of heroes’ past, or feature nostalgia. But my intentions are pure, so let’s get to it.
Dec 29, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes center Antoine Vermette (50) celebrates after scoring an empty net goal as Philadelphia Flyers center Brayden Schenn (10) reacts during the third period at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Opening Night: The Philadelphia Flyers come for a visit on Saturday, October 15th.
The opening night for the Arizona Coyotes is an unbelievable experience, and once you’ve been to one opener, attendance at all future ones becomes mandatory.
Simply put, the level of excitement for Yotes fans inside Gila River Arena is electric, making opening day for other Valley sports teams seem tame.
Really tame.
Like “insurance seminar” tame.
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It’s a great night for hockey. It’s a crowded, raucous house filled with optimism, spirit, and noise. Everyone’s excited, and with good reason.
Anything’s possible.
A win feels like a play-off victory.
The players that earned spots on the team get introduced, and this year there will be plenty of new faces. It will also likely be Shane Doan’s last home opener, and that’s something worth seeing live for any Coyotes fan.
And if that isn’t enough for you, there’s the revenge factor.
When these two teams last met back in March, there was a bad taste left in the mouths of Coyotes players and fans.
It was the night Michael Stone suffered his season-ending knee injury in the third period of a hard-fought game.
Doan also was hurt, driven into the boards from behind by Flyers defenseman Radko Gudas, also in the third period, ending the Captain’s night. Both players had scored in the contest, the only goals in what would be a 2-to-1 victory.
Adding to the melee was Martin Hanzal’s hit on Flyers Captain Claude Giroux, taking Giroux out of the remainder of the game late in the third. Hanzal received a five-minute major penalty for the hit.
So it’s fair to say that both teams will be looking for some payback.
Mar 17, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes center Max Domi (16) and San Jose Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (44) fight during the second period at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
San Jose Sharks visit the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday, November 1st.
The first match-up against the San Jose Sharks, Western Conference champions and one of our perennial division rivals, should be both a measure of the upgrades the Coyotes have made in the off-season and how well the team is coming together.
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After opening at home and then taking the season’s longest road trip, the Arizona Coyotes will have played a game against the Colorado Avalanche over the weekend and had two days off before taking on the Sharks.
We should know a lot about the team, new players, and how well the new guys are mixing with the veterans. Line combinations will be discussed openly and we’ll be able to see who’s taking the initiative and who’s not keeping up.
It will also be the start of a stretch featuring eight home games in one month. And between October 29th and November 25th, nine home games in four weeks will be played.
This will be a pivotal game, and a huge opportunity for the Coyotes to take a giant step forward in their division.
If the October road trip went well or was neutral, this game will mean a lot, and if the road trip didn’t go so well, it will be a chance to begin getting some back.
Feb 2, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes defenseman Michael Stone (26) checks Los Angeles Kings right wing Dustin Brown (23) during the third period at Gila River Arena. The Kings won 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Kings visit Gila River Arena on Thursday, December 1st.
When I think of the Los Angeles Kings I think of the 2012 Western Conference Finals. I think of what might have been, and how the taste of the Stanley Cup was just around the corner.
I think of how it felt to lose, and I’m reminded of how irritated I was when the Kings’ players were celebrating their victory.
The memory of Dustin Brown’s hit on Michal Rozsival in game five is also fresh in my mind.
I didn’t like it.
In the moment it seemed intentional, petty, and frankly dangerous. Slow motion replay, time, and the cooler heads that come with it showed perhaps it wasn’t as intentionally dangerous and petty as Coyotes fans thought.
It did change the game though. I respect Brown for the leader he has been for the Kings, and for his career achievements, but not that hit.
And not even a penalty for the hit? Really?
REALLY?
That entire game was filled with missed calls and the ice did feel as though it were tilted against us. Shane Doan wasn’t too happy about it. Neither was Mike Smith or the rest of the team.
The Kings beat us though, and with or without the calls the Coyotes were not the best team in that series. Brown will no longer have the “C” on his jersey beginning this season.
However, if I have an opportunity to cheer against the Kings, I take it.
One day, the Coyotes will make the playoffs again and face the Kings, and beat them on the ice. Games like this one are stepping stones to that moment, and I will make it my mission to be a part of it each time they come to town.
Nov 27, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (23) celebrates with teammates after scoring the game winning goal in overtime to beat the Calgary Flames 2-1 at Gila River Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
There are two additional games that deserve honorable mentions.
Nashville Predators visit Gila River Arena on Thursday, November 3rd.
This game features a player from the biggest trade of the offseason. Defenseman PK Subban came to the Predators from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Shea Weber, and by the time this game begins we should know how well, or not well, that’s working out for both teams.
Watching Subban play live is always a treat, and so is cheering against the Preds. Being able to do both at the same time, well that’s just fantastic.
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Winnipeg Jets come to town on Thursday, November 10th.
This one has nothing to do with tough match-ups, or rivalries, or even players. It’s about origin.
Prior to the 1996 season, the Arizona Coyotes, formerly the Phoenix Coyotes, were the Winnipeg Jets. Winnipeg got their team back through the relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers in 2011, and promptly re-named the franchise the Jets.
It’s a lot like the Cleveland Browns, who moved to Baltimore to become the Ravens, while in near-simultaneous fashion a new team sprung up in Cleveland named…yup…the Browns. Like it never happened.
Except it did happen, and each year when the Ravens play the Browns, each team is measuring itself against the other, like one twin playing the other twin.
When the Jets come to town, I feel like the game is something bigger with deeper meaning. There’s more of a sense of responsibility to win, to cheer a bit louder, to enjoy a goal that much more.
It’s been 20 years since the move, but considering Shane Doan was drafted by the Jets and played for the Jets before relocating here, it’s not quite history yet.
That’s my list of must-see home games before Christmas. As the season gets going these games may change based on how the Coyotes are playing, but until then I’m focused on these.
Agree? Disagree? Convince me. If you’re take on it is compelling I just may back you up on that.
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